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Why working mums are being sold an impossible dream about work/life balance — and how to set the record straight

Glossy portrayals of super-organised working mothers do not reflect Christine Armstrong’s experience, nor that of other mums she meets. Families are damaged by these big little lies, she argues

In a whirl: Christine Armstrong and her daughters, Lucy, 4, Vivienne, 6, and Celia, 8SOPHIA SPRING FOR THE SUNDAY TIMES MAGAZINE. HAIR AND MAKE-UP: EMMA LEON

The Sunday Times, August 19 2018, 12:01am

My friend had called at 7.40am to say she couldn’t cope. “I got up at 3.30am, my mind was on fire, I couldn’t stop worrying, so I got out of bed and cleared my email backlog for the first time in months. Then the kids got up and I chased and shouted to get them ready and now I’m charging into a long day of meetings that run into each other and I feel like I never see my kids and I never get through the work and when I get home tonight my email will be full of more stuff I need to do. I’m at full capacity. Beyond full capacity. I can’t do anything more than I do. And yet people keep telling…

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